Paris, France – In an escalating legal move against Elon Musk’s digital empire, the Paris public prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday that it had summoned the owner of the X platform for formal questioning. This coincided with extensive searches of the platform’s offices in the French capital.
Summoning senior leaders and conducting field raids
French prosecutor Laure Picaud confirmed that authorities have summoned Elon Musk and Linda Iaccarino (the platform’s former CEO) to appear before investigators on April 20. Picaud explained that the summons was issued in their capacity as “the de facto and de jure directors of the platform during the period in which the alleged misconduct occurred.” Meanwhile, French security and judicial authorities have begun searching the offices of “X” in France to gather evidence related to the ongoing investigation.
List of charges: From “algorithmic manipulation” to “deepfakes”
The investigation began in early 2025 following complaints from French lawmakers regarding biased algorithms on the platform and their negative impact on its performance. However, the public prosecutor’s office has since expanded the scope of the investigation to include serious criminal offenses, including: complicity in child pornography (suspected facilitation of the systematic possession and distribution of child pornography); deepfakes (the dissemination of AI-generated sexual content); and Holocaust denial (allowing the publication of content denying the Holocaust, which is a crime under French law). Furthermore, the investigation encompasses the manipulation of public opinion through algorithms serving specific agendas.
The public prosecutor’s office stated that the summonses were not limited to senior management, but also included other company employees. These individuals will be questioned between April 20 and 24, 2026.
Interrogation dates and judicial objectives
Prosecutor Picot stated that these “voluntary interviews” are intended to give executives an opportunity to present their position and clarify the measures they intend to take to comply with strict French and European laws regarding digital content. This French move represents one of the most serious legal challenges Musk has faced in Europe. It could also result in hefty fines or severe operational restrictions on the X platform within French territory.
